Before there were bikes, there were wind haters: In almost any culture's mythology, wind gods are among the nastiest of the bunch. The Greeks have Zephyrus, who murdered the boy Hyacinthus by maliciously diverting an airborne discus. Norse god Odin was famous for his "berserker rage." The Egyptian god Set buried his brother alive, then scattered pieces of the corpse around Egypt. (His sister suffered an even worse fate—Set married her.) The ancients' harsh portrayals of the third element shouldn't surprise us—after all, they never had aero helmets. But, buried within their stories are some valuable lessons for cyclists. Here are five worth a second look.

STAND YOUR GROUNDThe Tale According to Chinese mythology, Yi, the divine archer, undertook a series of missions in order to save China; his initial task was to fight Fei Lian, the Count of the Winds—a bull with the tail of a serpent. First, Yi diverted the wind with sheets so he could scale Fei Lian's home on Taishan Mountain. Then he shot the god in the knee.

A Better Idea Although we mere mortals can't control the wind, we can at least try to survive it by staying upright. Here are some suggestions:

Like Fei Lian, the front of the pack is more stable than the rear, which can be as whippy as a snake. Stay in the front third of the group to avoid the energywasting braking and accelerating that happen at the tail as the group reacts to the front riders.

For a little extra help in a paceline, try to ride behind the wheel of someone larger than you, ideally the 250-pound former linebacker. (But don't be selfish—if you weigh 95 pounds or are one of the stronger riders, any wheel will do.)

Ride in the drops. A lower center of gravity will increase your stability in a buffeting wind.

KNOW THY ENEMY

The Tale Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek army, was sailing to fight the Trojans when the goddess Artemis stopped the wind, stalling his fleet. To appease Artemis, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia. This worked out great at first—the Greeks resumed their journey and won the war—but severely displeased Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, who killed him upon his return (and took a lover in the meantime).

A Better Idea Though you may be tempted to sacrifice many things for a tailwind—your last Clif Shot Blok, a spare tube, your soul—the best way to get a little help on the way home is to start your ride into the wind. But if you begin with a tailwind, pace yourself accordingly. Or ride in the early morning, when conditions tend to be calmest.

BRING SOME CARBSThe Tale In one Native American legend, when the wind blew too strong, the Hopi asked the Little Fellows, or war gods, to pay a visit to the wind god, Yaponcha, who lived in a crack in a black rock. They sealed the crack shut with cornmeal mush.

A Better Idea Eat your food, don't smear it. Like a tough climb, a headwind forces you to put out more effort to maintain the same speed, therefore increasing calorie burn rate. Here are some tips for smooth refueling:

In a group, wait until you're at the back so you can safely reach for your bar or gel.

Open food packages before stashing them in your jersey, in whichever pocket is easiest for you to reach—chances are, it will be a side pocket.

Keeping your water bottle on the seat tube makes your bike more aero, but a bottle on the down tube is usually easier to grab. It's your call.

MAKE A SACRIFICEThe Tale In 2007, Nepal Airlines claimed to have fixed a Boeing 757's electrical problems by sacrificing two goats to the Hindu sky god, Akash Bhairab, on the runway.

A Better Idea If you're a strong rider, sacrifice yourself for the good of the group by taking longer pulls at the front. But keep the pace under control—waiting for a dropped rider will cost you more time than maintaining a slightly slower pace will. If you're a weaker rider who's debating whether to join a fast group ride, suck it up and ride with the pack on windy days, rather than fight the elements solo. And whatever your fitness level, don't fly Nepal Air.

CELEBRATEThe Tale To honor the god Ehecatl, Aztec priests adorned themselves with conch shells—the whorls of the shells represented the eddying of the wind.

A Better Idea Actually, those guys were onto something. Fighting the wind usually proves futile. So relax and take comfort in the fact that you're stronger than you feel—on flat ground, you produce the same number of watts riding at 20 mph into a 5-mph headwind that you do pedaling 25 mph on a calm day. To really tap into a Zen state, hightail it to Key West, Florida, and find Lloyd Mager, the island's 2009 conch-shell- blowing champion. When not practicing his rendition of Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night," Mager can be found leading Lloyd's Tropical Bike Tour (lloydstropicalbiketour.com), a two-hour cruiser ride complete with fresh-fruit tastings, access to private gardens and visits with local parrots.